Current vote tallies say Obama has tough row to hoe on Syria approval

The road to Congressional authorization of the use of
military force in Syria is not looking all that clear for President Barack
Obama, despite success
on Wednesday when a Senate committee voted to send the authorization to the
full Senate.

According to a
whip count by Bloomberg, Obama has a long way to go in the House, with just
20 members – out of 433 (there are two vacancies) – having publicly stated that
they support action in Syria. That figure does include Speaker of the House
John Boehner and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. 54 Republicans and 14
Democrats are on the record as opposed to the authorization, Bloomberg reports,
leaving the vast majority of the body publicly undecided.

Talking Points Memo has also been tracking public statements
on the votes on Syria. By TPM's
count, 41 House members have said yes, 148 have said no, and about 246 are
undecided.

In the Senate, by TPM's count Obama has 31 yes votes, 14 no
votes, and 55 undecided. Bloomberg has "about 20" yes votes in the Senate.

Votes on final authorization of limited action in Syria are
expected in both houses next week.